


Like Home

by nickelkeep



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Castiel and Dean Winchester Live Together, Castiel and Dean Winchester Need to Use Their Words, Castiel and Dean Winchester are Roommates, Castiel/Dean Winchester First Kiss, Cupcakes, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 14:03:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18470452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nickelkeep/pseuds/nickelkeep
Summary: Castiel's twin sister Hannah is getting married, and as the Man of Honor, he's been along for the Bridal Show and Wedding Planning ride. After talking about the last one with his best friend/roommate Dean, Dean suddenly wants to tag along (mostly for the free food). Can Cas handle pretending to be engaged to his best friend?





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**Author's Note:**

  * For [casbean](https://archiveofourown.org/users/casbean/gifts).



> For casbean, who won my fic giveaway, and provided the prompt idea: “ they get fake engaged so they can go taste wedding cakes for free. “
> 
> As always, constructive critiques are welcome and helpful.
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://nickelkeep.tumblr.com/) and [Pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/nickelkeep)

“Dean, I’m telling you. If I had to say, ‘I’m the Man of Honor’ one more time and explain that I’m not the groom, I was going to strangle someone.” Cas leaned into the fridge and grabbed a pair of beers. “I mean, I was even wearing a sticker that said, ‘Man of Honor.’”

Dean chuckled as he took a bottle offered to him. “Sorry Cas, I mean, you and Hannah would make for an adorable couple, if it weren’t for the whole twin thing.” He took a long draw of his beer. “So, what all did you do while you were there? I get the gist that it’s more of a thing for the Bride planning her wedding.”

“The Maid or Matron of Honor helps the Bride plan it. Since Hannah asked me to be her Man of Honor, I get to help instead.” Cas shrugged as he sat on the couch next to Dean. “I guess that’s what I get for being born second and being her best friend.”

“Yeah, sorry. Can’t help you there. I got the older brother privilege. Sam might be willing to complain about it with you though.” Dean rested his head on Cas’ shoulder. “You didn’t answer my question though. What happens at one of these Bridal Shows?”

Cas sighed and took a sip of his beer. “There are a ton of booths set up. Think similar to the artist alley setups at all the nerd conventions we go to with Charlie. Except, it’s aimed at people about to get married.” Cas rolled his eyes and took another swig of his beer. “There are DJs, Photographers, Travel Agents, and Wedding Boutiques everywhere, just shoving their stuff in your face. I’m not going to lie; the only saving grace was all the free food.”

“Free food? Why was there free food?”

“Dean, how many weddings have you been to?”

“A few.”

“And did they feed you at the reception?”

“Yep.”

“How do you think they decided upon the food?” Cas smiled and rolled his eyes playfully. “Caterers and Bakers also had booths set up. They had samples of their wares. Some bakers just had thousands of cupcakes for people to sample.”

Dean’s face cracked into a mischievous smile. “Hey Cas, marry me?”

“No.” Cas quickly chugged the rest of his beer and shot up from the couch. “For starters, I still have at least one more show to go to with Hannah. Why would I go to more than needed?”

Dean straightened up in his seat, suddenly askew from his sudden upheaval. “Not fair. You’re not supposed to figure out my master plan.”

“Dean, we’ve been best friends for years. I saw the gears turning when I said, ‘free food.’” Cas ran his fingers through his hair, fluffing his forever messy locks. “You realize you would be bored out of your mind, right?” He moved to the other side of the counter and set his bottle in the sink.

“We’d be walking around, you and me, eating free food and listening to music, while avoiding people pushing goods at us.” Dean shrugged. “Sounds like a fun time hanging out with you.”

Cas rolled his eyes and leaned on the counter. “Ok, so you want the biggest issue.” Dean gestured with his hand for Cas to continue. “No one is going to believe we’re a couple. I’m gay and the twin brother of the bride. They still thought I was Hannah’s fiancé.” Cas offered an apologetic smile. “You’re straight. You honestly think you’re going to fool anyone?”

“Oh.” Dean’s lips pressed into a hard line. “Excuse me.” He got up from his seat, setting his bottle on the counter before heading back to his room. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Dean,” Cas called after the retreating form. “Shit.” He rubbed his hand down his face, kicking himself for his choice of words. It was never about doubting Dean’s abilities at playing the doting fiancé. It was about how much he would like what he could never have. Cas pushed himself off the counter and headed towards Dean’s room.

He rapped gently on Dean’s door before turning the handle. The door was locked, something Dean never did. Cas’ brow furled, and he rested his palm against the door. “Dean? If you can hear me, I’ll make this right.” He stepped back from the door and headed to his room across the hall with his proverbial tail tucked between his legs.

***

The next morning Cas woke up to the smell of coffee brewing and Dean making breakfast. He sat up slowly, remembering the night before. The last thing he expected, especially after last night’s locked door, was a prepared breakfast. Cas quietly slid out of bed and slipped out of his room, walking down the hall to the kitchen.

Dean was standing at the stove, preparing what smelled like scrambled eggs. He pulled the skillet off the heat and turned to plate the food, finally seeing Cas standing in the hallway. “Morning, Sunshine. Hungry?”

“Yes?” Cas replied, confusion and questioning lacing his voice.

“Cool.” He pointed with his head to the plates already set out. “Let me just serve these up.”

Cas tilted his head in confusion as he sat at the counter. A piece of paper laid next to his plate facedown, but he chose to leave that alone unless Dean told him to look at it. Instead, he looked at the meal in front of him: pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, and black coffee that he was sure Dean had brewed to his personal preference.

Dean stood on the other side of the counter from him and started eating. “What are you waiting for? Dig in.”

“Ok?” Cas picked up his fork and took a bite of his scrambled eggs. Per the usual, Dean’s cooking was on point. He looked up to see a pair of green eyes focused on him. “It’s good. Thank you.”

“Good.” A small smile played on Dean’s lips. “That paper there is for you.” He picked up a piece of bacon and bit into it.

Cas’ eyes didn’t leave Dean’s as he set his fork on his plate and picked up the piece of paper next to it. Only once he flipped the page over did he break the strange staring game they were playing. His eyes went wide and snapped back to Dean’s once he realized what he held in his hand.

“I heard you last night.” Dean picked up his mug of coffee and sipped it, his eyes shining mischievously. “You want to make things right?” He set his mug down and flicked the piece of paper in Cas’ hand. “You’re taking me to the Bridal Show.”

“But…” Cas sputtered, his brain trying to come up with any excuse to not go to the show with Dean. “How do you know I’m not already going to this one with Hannah?”

Dean winked and slid the paper gently out of Cas’ hands. “Oh, we are.”

“What?!”

“After you moseyed off to your room, I called Hannah.” Dean folded the paper in half and set it next to his plate. “I asked her how the planning was going. Man, she loved talking to me about it. And you know what you neglected to mention? The raffles. So, I suggested that you and I went as fiancés, and she could get Balthazar to join us. That’s four times the normal amount of entries for raffles.”

“Dean. Michael. Winchester.”

“She was thrilled with the idea.” Dean smugly took another bite of his bacon. “So, it looks like we have a date next Saturday Cas.”

“I hate you.” Cas shook his head. “How are we even friends? I hate you.”

Dean ruffled Cas’ hair before gently smacking his cheek. “You love me, and you know it.”

***

After finishing breakfast, which in his opinion had been incredibly awkward, Cas self-exiled himself to his room. He pulled out his phone and quickly called his twin.

“Miss me already Castiel?”

“What. The. Hell. Hannah?” Cas whispered into his phone furiously. “Are you trying to kill me?” A burst of giggles responded to his inquiry. “I’m glad someone finds this funny.”

“I’m sorry, but do you know how excited I was to get a phone call from Dean last night, asking for help to set up a date with my baby brother?”

“That’s not what he asked, and you know it,” Cas growled into the phone. “Hannah, you know how I feel about him. Why would you put me in this position?”

“I put you in no worse position than you put yourself everyday living with him.”

“Seriously, Hannah?” Cas bit the inside of his lip, attempting to prevent any sounds of frustration from escaping. “The two of you are asking me to pretend that he loves me back.”

Hannah sighed loudly; her annoyance evident. “One of these days Castiel, you’ll remove your head from your ass. I don’t know why you can’t see what everyone else can. I fully expect to see you Saturday, with Dean in tow.”

The phone disconnected, leaving Cas with more questions than answers.

***

The week flew by far too fast for Cas’ liking. He threw himself into his work, hoping the more mundane of tasks would slow time. Instead, he cleared his work queue and was ahead of schedule on all his projects. It didn’t help his situation when every evening he came home; Dean wouldn’t stop talking about how excited he was for Saturday. By Friday evening, Cas’ nerves were shot, and he excused himself to bed early.

Saturday morning, he woke up to gentle nudges. “Hey, Sunshine,” Dean was sitting on the edge of his bed, trying not to jolt him awake. “I think you forgot to set your alarm. Coffee is waiting for you; then you need to get ready to go.”

“You came in my room?” Cas sat up slowly, his blanket sliding down his bare chest.

Dean quickly averted his eyes to his hands. “Yeah. Sorry. You weren’t answering, and we only have about an hour before we have to leave. I know you have your routine before you can function.”

“It’s ok Dean. I’ll be out in a minute.”

The bed shifted as Dean stood up and exited the room. Cas plopped back on his pillow, the hope that his mattress would swallow him whole briefly flitting through his thoughts. He rolled over and grabbed his phone, checking the time. He had just enough time to shower and get dressed, and if he didn’t finish his coffee, that’s what a travel mug was for, right?

He groaned audibly and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. This day came too soon, and he wasn’t ready for it. He forced himself through getting his morning routine, completely unwilling to face Dean. Once dressed, he walked down the hallway into the kitchen where he found Dean already prepping his to-go cup.

“No cream, four sugars. Deceptively sweet. Just like you.” Dean turned and winked, handing the cup to Cas. “You ready?”

Cas shook his head no as he took a sip of his coffee. “I don’t know why you want to go.”

“I want to spend time with you, Cas. And Hannah was dragging you along to this one anyway. This is a win-win-win-lose situation.”

“Who’s the loser?” Cas cocked his head and raised his eyebrow in confusion.

“Bal,” Dean smirked. “He’s stuck with you and me today.” Dean pointed to the row of hooks by the doors. “Who’s driving?”

Cas laughed, feeling some of the nervousness fade from his shoulders. He smiled and tossed Dean his keys.

***

Hannah and Balthazar were waiting for the two of them outside the venue. After a quick hello, and Hannah handing off premade labels with her info on them to Cas and Dean, they headed inside.

As they entered the lobby, Balthazar leaned over and whispered into Cas’ ear. “Little early for the two of you to be planning, isn’t it? I mean, it took long enough for the two of you to realize how sickeningly in love with each other you are.”

Cas rolled his eyes and started to head over to the Bridal Party line when Dean took his hand. “Wrong line. You’re a Groom today, remember?” Dean gently squeezed his hand and pulled him over to the line marked for the Brides and Grooms.

A polite young woman smiled at them as they stepped up to the booth. “Names?”

“Dean Winchester and this is my fiancé, Castiel Novak.”

“Awesome! We’re glad that you two gentlemen could join us today.” She filled out a few things on her laptop before grabbing their badges and a pair of bags. “There’s a map of the venue in each of your bags, as well as your raffle tickets. There’s some free swag from our company, as well as a couple of bridal magazines. I apologize, as I know you’re both grooms, but…” She politely shrugged.

Cas quietly slipped on his badge while Dean finalized checking in. Seeing the word groom on his badge was bittersweet and pulling sharply at his heart.

“Ready Cas?” Dean reached for his hand again. “According to your sister and the website, this is the biggest bridal show in the Midwest.”

“Yeah.” Cas looked at his fingers tangled with Dean’s before looking at the floor. “Let’s go.”

The pair followed Hannah and Balthazar into the main hall, which was decked out from floor to ceiling in different linens and topiaries. Dean let out a sharp whistle. “This is not what I was expecting at all. It’s completely decked out like an actual reception for a wedding.”

“Dean, I told you what Hannah and I did last Saturday.”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting this!” Dean tugged Cas along. “Hannah, wait up! You’re leading the way!”

As Dean slid up next to Hannah, Cas let go of his hand and stood next to Balthazar. “So, Castiel. Remind me again. What bet did you lose?”

“I upset him.”

“Good lord, he has you wrapped around his finger. And for your first, actual date, you’re already planning your wedding?” Balthazar laughed. “At least you and I can stand back and just look pretty.”

“Don’t you want some say in your wedding, Balthazar?”

“Don’t you want some in yours, Castiel?”

Cas huffed and turned his attention back to Dean, who was looking at a venue brochure with Hannah. Hannah’s nose wrinkled as she laughed and shook her head and put it back, while Dean turned to look for something. He stopped as his eyes met Cas’ and he smiled as he led Hannah back over to the two of them.

“Dude, this shit is expensive. No wonder they have these events. We should go elope.”

“Dean, we’ve been living together for ten years. I’m pretty sure that’s a common law marriage in Kansas.”

Dean’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? Let’s go find the cupcakes. We’re celebrating.”

Hannah’s arm shot out and grabbed Dean. “Unfortunately, we have to go this way,” she pointed down the first aisle, “but we’ll get there soon. There are caterers, wine vendors, breweries spread throughout for tastings.”

“Breweries?!” Dean’s eyes lit up, and he smiled at Cas. “Dude, I’m selling the garage. I’m going into the Wedding Planning Business if I can hit these up every weekend.” He intertwined his fingers into Cas’ again before turning to Hannah. “Lead the way. And don’t forget we have those raffle tickets for you too.”

Cas blushed and looked down at his hand in Dean’s. It was the third time Dean had grabbed it, and Cas’ poor heart was beating on overdrive. He took a deep breath to steady himself. “Let’s get moving then? So little to see, and so lots of time.” Cas mentally smacked himself when Balthazar snorted. “Scratch that. Reverse it.”

The group meandered through the aisles, stopping at all the booths that Hannah wanted to check, as well as sampling all the food and alcohol that Dean was interested in trying. They had made it about halfway through the venue before they found their first bakery. Dean pulled Cas ahead of Hannah and Balthazar to look at their mountain of cupcakes.

“Cas. Look at them. There are so many flavors.” Dean was practically drooling as he admired the display. “They have booze flavored cupcakes. This one is a Mudslide. That one is Tequila Sunrise. They seriously make wedding cakes in these flavors?”

A small sandy blonde man popped up next to them. “We sure do.” He handed his card to Dean. “Gabriel Milton. Owner and Head Baker of Angel Cakes Bakery. Most of these are of my own creation.”

Dean slid the card into his pocket. “Cas, you pick one, and I’ll pick a different one. That way we can try more flavors.”

“Nonsense!” Gabriel grabbed their hands and pulled them further into the booth. “Tell me, when’s the wedding.”

Cas shot a look at his best friend. Dean had never mentioned a wedding date to Cas, so he was unable to answer. Dean smiled. “I only proposed last week. Cas’ sister is getting married and has been making the circuits, so she invited us along for this one.”

“Makes sense.” Gabe nodded and pointed at two stools as he set down two plates. “How long have you two been together?”

Dean didn’t even hesitate. “Ten years. Started off as that old silly ‘They were roommates’ romantic trope.”

Gabe laughed. “Started in college, right? Let me guess. You were an engineering major.” Dean chuckled and nodded as the boisterous baker turned to Cas. “You were some kind of humanities major. Anthropology?” Cas’ eyes shot up in surprise, and he nodded to confirm Gabe’s guess. “I’m good at what I do Kiddo. So. Let me offer this.” He pulled out four cupcakes. “The Mudslide and the Tequila Sunrise, as those are what Mr. Engineering over here thinks you two would like best.” He cut the first two in half and set half on each plate.

“Thought you didn’t want us to split them?” Dean playfully jabbed.

“You’re halfway through, and while I know I have the best cupcakes here, you still have all the other food and beverage vendors to sample. Want to keep your girlish figure for the big day, don’t you?”

Cas snorted at the irony of Gabe’s statement but picked up his half of the chocolate mudslide cupcake. As he went to bite into it, Gabe snapped at him. “You planning on feeding yourself your own wedding cake handsome? Feed it to your fiancé.”

Dean had already turned to look at him, a smug smirk on his face. “Plant some sugar on me?”

“You’re insufferable,” Cas muttered as he offered the half of the cupcake to Dean.

“You love it,” Dean emphasized the word love as he leaned in to taste the offered food. His eyes never left Cas’ as he bit into the cupcake, a small moan escaping his lips as the flavor exploded in his mouth. “Cas,” he swallowed. “That’s some good stuff.” Dean picked up the half on his plate. “Your turn.”

Cas cleared his throat and looked over at Gabe who was waiting for his opinion. He leaned in towards Dean and bit into the cupcake offered to him. He also found the taste pleasurable. “It’s good, but I’m not sure it’s a wedding cake flavor.”

“I agree, Angel.” Dean looked to Gabe. “So, Tequila Sunrise?”

Cas tilted his head in confusion. Dean was clearly going to kill him by the end of the event. As soon as the dessert hit his plate, he picked it up and offered it to the eager man sitting next to him. Dean repeated his performance from the previous cupcake, testing Cas’ resolve further.

“That one tasted just like the drink. It was good, but it’s more like a bachelor or bachelorette party dessert.” Dean picked up his half and offered it to Cas. “Open up?”

Cas closed his eyes, unable to look Dean in the eyes. He leaned forward to taste the cupcake, and as he took it into his mouth, he accidentally ended up with Dean’s finger wrapped in his lips. His eyes opened wide in surprise, instantly finding a set of peridot eyes focused on his. The flavor of the cupcake was lost to him, as all he could focus on was the look in the other man’s gaze.

He slid his lips off Dean’s finger and quickly swallowed the cupcake. He coughed, clearing his throat. “Sorry, Dean. I should have been paying attention.” He turned to look at Gabriel who was wagging his eyebrows. “It was good, but not wedding cake good.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think you two would actually want the alcohol-based flavors for your cake.” The baker grabbed the first of the two unknown cupcakes. “I think this one fits Mr. Engineer here. Dean, right?” He cut it in half and place a piece in front of each of them. “Now, you both realize when you cut the cake, you feed each other at the same time, right?”

Dean picked up the half on his plate. “He’s right Cas. It doesn’t hurt to practice now.”

“Um. Yeah.” Cas picked up the other half and awkwardly started to offer it to Dean while opening his mouth to bite into the half provided to him.

They both managed to eat their halves without making too much of a mess, and it was Dean who quickly piped up. “That almost tasted like an apple pie. I love it.”

“Nailed it in one. How about you Cas? You like it?”

“That flavor is very representative of Dean and was very delicious.” He pointed at the other cupcake. “Is that one supposed to represent me?”

Gabe cut the dessert in half. “Yep, and it’s actually a new flavor. Almost like fate that I premiered it today.”

“Or you just want more sales.” Dean sassed back. “Show us what you think of Cas here.”

“You got it.” Gabe offered the halves to each man.

“Are we practicing the same time thing again?” Cas asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Gabe answered for Dean. “You two might as well. Clearly, you two don’t feed each other.”

Dean caught and held Cas’s eye. Cas felt a blush creep up the back of his neck. The look from the other man, from his best friend, was indescribable. It almost felt like Dean loved him. _This isn’t real. This can’t be real. We are not sampling flavors for our wedding cake._ He leaned in and tried the bite from Dean’s fingers as Dean took the taste from his.

As his emotions and feelings threatened to overwhelm him, Cas closed his eyes to focus on the flavor. “Is that… Peanut Butter and Jelly?”

“It is.” Gabe laughed heartedly. “Peanut butter cupcake with a Strawberry Jelly Ganache. Do you know how surprised I was to not find a PB and J cupcake in the wild?”

“It tastes like home.”

Cas looked at Dean. “What was that?”

“This would be the perfect flavor for the cake.” Dean looked at Cas and smiled his thousand-watt smile. “It reminds me of you in every way. It reminds me of home.”

Cas’ breath caught in his throat. “Excuse me.” He stood up from the stool and pushed his way out of the booth, desperate for fresh air, needing space, wanting to leave. He rushed past Hannah and Balthazar, who both called after him. He needed an exit, any place to get him outside.

As he finally found a patio that he could escape to, Cas felt a warm hand grasp around his wrist. He continued to push outside tugging the person along with him. He stopped in front of one of the rose bushes, his arm still pulled slightly behind him. There was no reason for him to turn around. He knew who had chased him down.

“Cas?”

Cas shook his head, freeing the tears that he didn’t realize he had been holding back. He felt as Dean walked in front of him, and softly placed his hand on his cheek. Dean’s thumb wiped away the tears that had fallen, and he pulled Cas securely into his arms.

“I am so sorry, Cas.”

“Why?” Cas croaked, as his tears started to flow more freely. “Why are you doing this?”

A heavy sigh escaped Dean, and Cas felt a warm, delicate touch on the top of his head. “Hannah warned me that I might be going about this the wrong way.” Dean’s fingers found his way to the back of Cas’ head, and he carded them through the dark brown hair. “Cas, do you think I don’t know how you feel about me?”

Cas tensed and tried to pull away out of Dean’s embrace. “Not happening. Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll let you go, but you need to know, I’ll know you’re lying.”

“So, what is this then?” Cas sniffled. “Is this you trying to humiliate me into stopping?”

“Never, Cas. This is me trying to make it plain as day, that I am yours.” Blue eyes shot up, searching for the lie in green ones. There wasn’t one to be found. “I am horrible at speaking my feelings, you know this. But they say that actions speak louder than words.”

Cas shook his head in disbelief. “You’re straight.”

“You always assumed but never asked. And honestly? Last week was kind of the final straw for me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Who knows how you take your coffee? Who knows your favorite movies? Who knows that you would rather stay at home and order a C14, with no mushrooms, from Asian Palace than go out and be social?” Dean hooked his finger under Cas’ chin. “Who knows that you love sleeping with the windows open when it rains because it sounds like music to you? Who knows that your biggest fear is being a disappointment?

“Do you understand why I know all of these things Cas? It’s not just because I’m your best friend. Hell, I’m Sam’s best friend, and I can’t answer some of those things about the kid. Can you answer those things about Hannah?”

“No.”

“Do you know random facts like that about me? Can you answer those questions about me?” Dean waited for Cas to nod before continuing. “Why do I know these things Cas? Say it.”

Cas looked at Dean, his eyes pleading to not have to answer. “I can’t.”

“You’re scared that I don’t mean it.” Dean’s hands moved to lovingly cup Cas’ face. “Castiel James Novak, I love you. And I’m sorry if this was the wrong way to show you. But you kinda said it yourself. We’ve been together a long time. Maybe not as an official couple, but you are who I’ve come home to every night.”

“You mean that.”

“Every word, Angel.”

Cas searched Dean’s eyes looking for any hint of a lie or fallacy and found none. He huffed out a half-laugh. “Why couldn’t you tell me a normal way?”

“’Cause what we have Cas? Is far from normal. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Dean pressed his lips softly against Cas’, their first kiss tasting like home.

**Author's Note:**

> Are you into Dean and Cas? Do you use Discord? Looking for a cool group of people to hang out with? Come join the writers, artists, and Destiel fans on the [Profound Bound Discord Server](http://discord.profoundbond.net/).


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